When I bought this little cherub on a chain at Traci's Thrift, it came it a box upon which was written with an elderly hand, "Handcrafted by Stuart Nye, Ashland, N. Carolina." Being the curious sort, I googled Stuart Nye and found a homey craft shop known for making the most comfortable hoop earrings known to woman and the timeless dogwood blossom brooch in production since 1933. I'm not a Southern gal, but I can imagine that special day in each girl's life, when she opens her Stuart Nye Dogwood Blossom brooch. It would be how we in California feel about getting our driver's license, that I'm all grown up now feeling. The Southern Ladies have such lovely deep traditions. Why I'd bet anything my cousin Malinda has a Stuart Nye Dogwood Blossom brooch, and she probably bought each of her girls one.

No naked cupids did I see. There was made mention on the internet of "vintage " Stuart Nye pieces, but they were all tucked away in estate sales and weren't easy to locate. However the metal work of this cupid is very Nye like, and so I've come to the conclusion that this is a Nye probably made during the '80 when cherubs were all the rage and when maybe, just maybe the workshop had a slightly more daring art director. But really I leave it in the hands of Ladies like my cousin to know for sure. This is an East Coast mystery, and I'm too far away to do any more legwork on it.